Sen. Shaheen endorses attack on Syria

Two New Hampshire Democrats in Congress are on opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to the difficult decision to authorize U.S. military action in Syria.

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By Joey Cresta

seacoastonline.com

By Joey Cresta

Posted Sep. 6, 2013 at 2:00 AM

By Joey Cresta
Posted Sep. 6, 2013 at 2:00 AM

» Social News

Two New Hampshire Democrats in Congress are on opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to the difficult decision to authorize U.S. military action in Syria.

U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., joined other members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in voting Wednesday to authorize limited military force in Syria, while a fellow New Hampshire Democrat, U.S. Rep. Carol Shea-Porter, issued a prepared statement saying she opposes the United States taking military action against the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Meanwhile, the rest of the congressional delegation from New Hampshire and Maine still have not made up their minds on attacking Syria and are continuing to collect facts from briefings and opinions from their constituents.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted to give President Barack Obama the authority to use military force against Syria in response to a deadly chemical weapons attack that the Assad regime allegedly carried out last month — the latest atrocity perpetrated during the Middle Eastern nation's brutal and lengthy civil war. The vote was 10-7, with one senator voting "present." The full Senate is expected to vote on the measure next week.

The vote marked the first time lawmakers have voted to authorize military action since the October 2002 votes giving President George W. Bush the authority to invade Iraq.

Shaheen serves on the panel alongside other senators including John McCain, R-Ariz., Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Marco Rubio, R-Fla. Shaheen said that after carefully weighing all the information, she came to the decision that the resolution provides an "appropriate response" to Assad's alleged chemical weapons violations.

The resolution would permit Obama to order a limited military mission against Syria, as long as it doesn't exceed 90 days and involves no American troops on the ground for combat operations.

The Democratic chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. Bob Menendez, and the panel's top Republican, Sen. Bob Corker, crafted the resolution.

"Authorizing the president to use military force anywhere in the world is a solemn and serious responsibility and the decision to undertake military action is not one I take lightly," Shaheen said in a prepared statement released after the vote. "Failing to take action against the Assad regime's use of chemical weapons poses a significant and direct threat to American national security interests."

Shaheen said she is aware that many people in New Hampshire and the rest of the country are "war-weary" and worried about the consequences of getting involved in a bloody civil war, but she said the United States must deter the spread and use of weapons of mass destruction.

Shea-Porter, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, released a prepared statement Wednesday saying it is hard to see how a military strike against Syria will improve the situation.

"After attending classified and unclassified briefings on Syria and speaking with people across New Hampshire, at this point, I oppose the United States taking military action against the Assad regime in Syria," she said. "If the United States launches a sustained and heavy attack, we run the risk of swapping Assad out for some equally ruthless group. If we launch a smaller, targeted attack, we run the risk of emboldening President Assad and causing more casualties."

Shea-Porter said there would have to be a threat to national security, a strong strategy and a good possibility of success to justify the use of U.S. force in Syria. Barring any changes to the situation, Shea-Porter said she will vote against the resolution to take military action.

Like Shea-Porter and Shaheen, other senators and representatives from New Hampshire and Maine have been on fact-finding missions in recent weeks as they prepare to take a vote on attacking Syria.

Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., participated in a Senate Armed Forces Committee briefing Wednesday. She has called for Obama to address the nation in a prime-time televised address outlining his position before Congress votes.

"Sen. Ayotte is receiving further briefings and continues to carefully study the resolution," the senator's spokesman, Jeff Grappone, said in an e-mail Wednesday afternoon.

Robert Friedlander, a spokesman for Rep. Ann McLane Kuster, D-N.H., said that in addition to participating in briefings, she also planned to hold a town hall-style listening session over the phone with her constituents Wednesday night.

"I continue to have grave concerns about the proposed use of military force in Syria," Kuster said in a prepared statement provided by Friedlander. "While the international community must hold Assad accountable, I am concerned that U.S. military intervention could have unintended consequences in the region. In the coming days, I will continue to discuss this critical issue with my constituents to ensure that their voices are heard in this debate."

The response from constituents of Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, has been overwhelming, according to spokesman Willy Ritch. He said that as of noon Wednesday, Pingree's office had received correspondence from 1,123 Mainers opposing military intervention. Only 21 people contacted the office to say they were in favor of attacking Syria, he said.

"It does seem that she's hearing a pretty consistent message," Ritch said, adding that Pingree is inclined to vote "no" on a resolution to use force, but has committed to listening to all the briefings before committing to a position.

Maine Democratic U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud and U.S. Sen. Angus King, an independent, are both undecided on the resolution, their spokesmen said. King, a member of the Senate Armed Services and Intelligence committees, held a media availability session at the Portland International Jetport on Wednesday afternoon to answer questions about Syria.

"He is very much in a fact-finding mission still at this point. He is completely undecided," King spokeswoman Crystal Canney said.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said at an appearance in Waterville on Tuesday that Obama acted too quickly when he warned Syria that using chemical weapons would cross a "red line" resulting in serious consequences.

Whatever the outcome, Obama's ultimatum to Assad has put the United States into a "no-win situation," Collins said.